title: Health professionals moving to... and from Portugal.
abstract: The mobility of health professionals in the European Union is a phenomenon which policy-makers must take into account to provide the conditions to adjust for demand and supply of health services. This paper presents the case of Portugal, a country which at the same time imports and exports health workers. Since the early 1990s Portugal became a destination country receiving foreign health care professionals. This situation is now changing with the current economic situation as fewer immigrants come and more Portuguese emigrate. Foreigners coming to Portugal do so in part for similar reasons that bring Portuguese to want to emigrate, mainly the search for better work conditions and professional development opportunities. The emigration of Portuguese health professionals is also stimulated by the difficulty for recently graduated nurses, dentists and diagnostic and therapeutic technicians to find employment, low salaries in the public and private sectors, heavy workloads, remuneration not related to performance and poor career prospects. The paradoxes described in this study illustrate the consequences of the absence of a policy for the health professions. Strategies based on evidence, and on an integrated information system that captures the dynamic evolution of the workforce in health are not only necessary but also a good investment.
authors.affiliation: CMDT, Centre for Malaria and Other Tropical Diseases, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Junqueira, 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal; CES, Centre for Social Studies and Faculdade de Economia, Universidade de Coimbra, Colégio de S. Jerónimo Apartado 3087, 3000-995 Coimbra, Portugal. Electronic address: joanasribeiro@ces.uc.pt.
authors.forename: Joana Sousa
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal. Electronic address: mclaudiaconceicao@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Conceição
authors.affiliation: CMDT, Centre for Malaria and Other Tropical Diseases, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Junqueira, 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: joelcosper@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: CMDT, Centre for Malaria and Other Tropical Diseases, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Junqueira, 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: claudia_leone@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Cláudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.affiliation: Divino Espírito Santo de Ponta Delgada Hospital, Rua Grotinha, 9500-370 Ponta Delgada, Portugal. Electronic address: pfmendonca@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mendonça
authors.affiliation: CMDT, Centre for Malaria and Other Tropical Diseases, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Junqueira, 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: martatemido@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Temido
authors.affiliation: Directorate General of Health, Alameda D. Afonso Henriques, 45, 1049-005 Lisboa, Portugal; Higher School of Health, Instituto Politécnico de Beja, Rua Pedro Soares, s/n, 7800-295 Beja, Portugal. Electronic address: carlotapvieira@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Carlota Pacheco
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.affiliation: International Public Health and Biostatistics Unit, CMDT, Centre for Malaria and Other Tropical Diseases, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Junqueira, 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: gillesdussault@ihmt.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dussault
mesh_terms: D002322:Career Mobility; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005551:Foreign Professional Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D010563:Personnel Turnover; D011174:Portugal; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Emigration; Health personnel; Immigration; Mobility